Wednesday, August 03, 2005

Quotes of the Morning: Freedom on the March

“These Quotes brought to you by my hero, the ever-invaluable Billmon.” -Skippy

“We should all look to a future when every government respects the will of its citizens – because the ideal of democracy is universal. For 60 years, my country, the United States, pursued stability at the expense of democracy in this region here in the Middle East – and we achieved neither. Now, we are taking a different course. We are supporting the democratic aspirations of all people.” -Condoleeza Rice, June 22, 2005

“On behalf of the United States, I congratulate my friend, King Abdallah bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud, on assuming the Saudi throne and the position of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. We wish Saudi Arabia peace and prosperity under his leadership.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, August 1, 2005

“A general court in Riyadh sentenced 'Ali al-Dumaini, Dr. Matruk al-Falih and Dr. Abdullah al-Hamid on May 15, 2005, to prison terms of between six and nine years after they attempted to circulate a petition calling for a constitutional monarchy in Saudi Arabia.” -Human Rights Watch, July 27, 2005

“Sticking to tradition, Abdullah immediately appointed his half brother, Defense Minister Prince Sultan, 77, as his crown prince and successor . . . Sultan is likely to appease the religious establishment, which gives the monarchy its legitimacy, rather than continue to reform its institutions.” -Associated Press, August 1, 2005

"’Saudi judges seem unable or unwilling to protect Saudi citizens from arbitrary detention when they try to exercise basic rights like free speech,’ said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director for Human Rights Watch. ‘Instead, they have backed the government’s relentless repression of all peaceful political criticism.’" -Human Rights Watch, July 27, 2005

“Oil prices climbed above $61 a barrel to a three-week high on Monday . . . analysts said markets were jittery over longer term Saudi policy, noting that the new king and Crown Prince were both octogenarians.‘It's this succession struggle and the possible related instability that's the actual concern,’ one trader said.” -Reuters, August 1, 2005

"The government is relying on vaguely defined offenses that it can apply arbitrarily to silence citizens critical of the government. The Saudi Foreign Minister publicly stated his view that Saudi Arabia would become a constitutional monarchy, but three months later the government jailed these ordinary citizens for advocating exactly this." -Human Rights Watch, July 27, 2005

“I have spoken today to the new King, and the United States looks forward to continuing the close partnership between our two countries.” -George ‘Dubya’ Bush, August 1, 2005